How to Get Better at Anything & Why So Many People Like Tattoos - SYSK Choice

Something You Should Know

Mike Carruthers | OmniCastMedia

Education, Social Sciences, Science, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.5 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 9 May 2026

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When buying a car, color might seem like a purely personal choice. But it turns out that picking a less popular color could actually pay off later in a surprising way—especially when it’s time to sell. Source: Westways Magazine Summer 2024 / “Color Considerations” What does it really take to get better at something? Is it just practice—or is there a smarter way to improve? Why do some people seem to make rapid progress while others plateau? Scott Young, writer, podcast host (https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/podcast/), and author of Get Better at Anything: 12 Maxims for Mastery (https://amzn.to/3JOQ60k), breaks down what actually works when it comes to learning and skill-building. In our conversation, he explains the principles that separate effective practice from wasted effort—and how small adjustments can lead to much faster improvement. Tattoos have been around for thousands of years, yet their popularity today seems higher than ever. What draws people to permanently mark their bodies? Do they regret it later—or does the meaning deepen over time? Matt Lodder, senior lecturer in art history at the University of Essex and one of the world’s leading experts on tattoo history, takes us inside this fascinating world. He is author of Painted People: 5,000 Years of Tattooed History from Sailors and Socialites to Mummies and Kings (https://amzn.to/4bdVJlb), and in our discussion he explores the cultural, psychological, and historical reasons tattoos continue to hold such strong appeal. Humming might seem like a small, almost unconscious habit—but it can have a surprisingly positive effect on how you feel. And there’s more going on behind it than you might think. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture-council/articles/humming-for-self-care-tool-for-leaders-toolboxes-1234956725/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AQUA TRU: Take the guesswork out of pure, great-tasting water. Head to ⁠https://AquaTru.com⁠ now and get 20% off your purifier using promo code SYSK. AquaTru even comes with a 30-day best-tasting water guarantee or your money back. POCKET HOSE: For a limited time, when you purchase a new Pocket Hose Ballistic, you'll get a FREE 360 degree rotating pocket pivot and a FREE thumb drive nozzle! Just text SYSK to 64000 RULA: This Mental Health Awareness Month, don’t just think about your mental health - actually take the step to take care of it. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Rula.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get started. QUINCE: Refresh your everyday with luxury you will actual use! Go to ⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! SHOPIFY: It's time to turn those "what ifs" into CHA CHING with Shopify Today! Sign up for your $1 per month trail and start selling today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Shopify.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PLANET VISIONARIES : We love the Planet Visionaries podcast! In partnership with The Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. Listen or watch on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you are listening to this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Right, home from work, walk the dog, kids are back.
0:05.0	Mom!
0:06.0	Up the stairs for something.
0:08.0	Ugh, back down, no idea what I went up for.
0:12.0	Mom, what's for dinner?
0:14.0	Chop, sizzle, done.
0:17.0	Hello Fresh can't slow life down, but it makes bringing everyone together around the table a whole lot easier.
0:22.6	So its phones down, forks up.
0:24.6	Hello Fresh. Bring back dinner time.
0:27.6	Hello.
0:29.6	Today on something you should know, how the color of your car can cost or save you money.
0:38.3	Then how to master any skill by understanding how the brain works against you.
0:44.3	There's definitely some like hypothetical ceiling to how good you get at things, but I think most people plateau well below their ultimate attainable ability
0:52.3	because of this process of the brain to take skills
0:55.5	that you repeatedly do and try to make them automatic and low effort.
0:59.7	Also, why you might want to start humming right now, and inside the world of tattoos, who
1:05.9	gets them, why they get them, and what a tattoo actually is.
1:10.2	Yeah, I mean, they're basically magic, right?
1:12.4	If you're a kid, it's like scribbling on your arm and you can't rub it away.
1:15.8	But the reason you can't rub it away is because the ink particles are suspended in your skin by your immune system.
1:22.4	So essentially tattooing is a product of our immune system response.
1:26.0	All this today on something you should know.
	...

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